With filibuster rumors swirling in Senate, House takes up school finance/revenue bill

Legislative consideration of a crucial school finance and revenue bill, Senate Bill 1811, has been pushed back so far that its survival is threatened.

It’s in filibuster territory in the Senate, which comes back at 8:30 p.m., and rumors have been swirling about whether a talkathon will happen and who’ll do it (Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston? Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth)?

Reps. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, and Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, have laid out the bill in the House.

Pitts handled the revenue part, which includes freeing up about $2.3 billion by pushing back a state payment to schools into the next fiscal cycle. The bill also would spend about $150 million to continue a tax break for small businesses with $1 million or less in revenue.

Eissler is handling the school finance part, and he’s faced hard questions from Democratic Reps. Scott Hochberg of Houston and Mike Villarreal of San Antonio.

Villarreal questioned the way an agreement with reached with the Senate, and its results. He said the Senate plan would have more equitably spread cuts and revenue.

“The Senate’s plan would have brought more justice to school finance…. You seem to have fought for a plan that did the opposite,” Villarreal said. “Why?”